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Southbound John Young Parkway Traffic Shift

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During the week of April 29, a traffic pattern change is expected on southbound State Road (S.R.) 423/John Young Parkway between S.R. 50/West Colonial Drive and Shader Road. The work is part of the department’s project to widen the road from four to six lanes.

The traffic shift will move southbound traffic east between Shader Road and Silver Star Road.

Electronic message boards and other signs will be used to direct traffic. Motorists are asked to be prepared for the changes and exercise extra caution when driving through the work zone.

Please note construction schedules may change due to weather or other circumstances. Updates will be available on the Florida Department of Transportation’s Central Florida website, CFLRoads.com.

Media inquiries should be directed to the FDOT Communications Office at 386-943-5479 or [email protected].

Grouper, hogfish fishing reopens May 1 in Atlantic, Monroe County waters

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The following species will reopen to recreational harvest May 1 in Florida state and federal waters of the Atlantic: hogfish; gag, black, red, yellowmouth and yellowfin grouper; scamp; red hind; rock hind; coney; and graysby.

Hogfish will remain open through Oct. 31, 2018, on the east coast of Florida as well as south and east of Cape Sable on the Gulf coast. The other species will remain open through Dec. 31, 2018, on the east coast of Florida and all state waters off Monroe County.

More information about hogfish and grouper bag and size limits, gear restrictions and fishing seasons, including a map of the Atlantic and Gulf grouper fishing boundaries, is available online at MyFWC.com/Fishing; select “Saltwater Fishing” then “Recreational Regulations.” 

Attorney General Bondi Urges Floridians to Help Combat Opioid Crisis

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Attorney General Pam Bondi is encouraging Floridians to help combat the national opioid crisis by participating in National Prescription Drug Take Back Day. Take back locations will be open across the state on Saturday, April 28, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. This event allows the public to take expired or no longer needed prescription drugs to local drop-off points for proper disposal.

“People struggling with addiction will do anything to get their hands on deadly drugs in search of a quick high––even going as far as rummaging through a relative’s medicine cabinet. That is why I urge everyone to get rid of your nonessential or outdated prescription drugs. Look in your medicine cabinet and if you come across any unused prescriptions, please take them to the nearest Drug Take Back location. This simple task will help us fight the opioid crisis and save lives,” said Attorney General Bondi.

The Drug Enforcement Administration conducts Drug Take-Backs in conjunction with state and local law enforcement. Floridians can find nearby participating locations by clicking, here.

Medicine take-back options are the preferred way to safely discard of most types of unneeded prescriptions. This option compared to disposal in the household trash or down the toilet is much safer for everyone. Flushing medicine down the toilet can bring harm to the environment, as well as, unintended human health risks. Consumers can visit the DEA’s website for more information about drug disposal.  

Orlando woman claims first top prize in new THE PRICE IS RIGHT Scratch-Off game

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The Florida Lottery announces that Nikki Smith, 35, of Orlando, claimed the first $1 million top prize in the new THE PRICE IS RIGHT Scratch-Off game at Florida Lottery Headquarters in Tallahassee. She chose to receive her winnings as a one-time, lump-sum payment of $770,000.00.

Smith already has big plans for her winnings, “The first thing I’m doing is buying a house!”

Smith purchased her winning ticket from Rightway Food Store, located at 5003 Old Winter Garden Road in Orlando. The retailer will receive a $2,000 bonus commission for selling the winning Scratch-Off ticket.

The $5 game, THE PRICE IS RIGHT, launched on April 19, 2018 and features more than $59 million in prizes, including six top prizes of $1 million! The game’s overall odds of winning are one-in-4.19.

Scratch-Offs are an important part of the Lottery’s portfolio of games, generating more than $784 million for the Educational Enhancement Trust Fund (EETF) in FY 2016-17, and comprising approximately 68 percent of ticket sales.

RoadWatch Advisory for SR 80 in Lee County

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LEE COUNTY

SR 80/Palm Beach Boulevard from Buckingham Road to Hickeys Creek: Maintenance contract project: Motorists should expect intermittent eastbound and westbound lane closures during nighttime/overnight hours from Sunday, April 29 through Friday, May 4, while crews apply pavement markings, weather permitting.  Motorists should use caution and expect delays.

UNF Student Named 2018 AmeriCorps Member of the Year

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Lyndsey Smith, a senior in the University of North Florida’s Jacksonville Teacher Residency (JTR) program in the College of Education and Human Services (COEHS), was recently honored as the 2018 AmeriCorps Member of the Year.

Volunteer Florida recognized Smith at an April 9 ceremony in Miami out of 1,500 Senior Corps and AmeriCorps members who are currently serving in 34 Florida counties. Smith, a Bartram Park resident who will graduate today with an education degree, is being honored for providing exceptional service to the community and exemplifying Volunteer Florida’s values of service, leadership, collaboration and excellence.

“We are extremely proud of Lyndsey’s selection, as she exemplifies a commitment to service while enacting the core principles of the program,” said Dr. Wanda Lastrapes, JTR AmeriCorps program director. “Her passion and commitment to urban teaching is evident through her knowledge and implementation of relevant and engaging standards-based lessons.”

Smith spearheaded the launch of a Girls on the Run (GOTR) program at Andrew Robinson Elementary School to build her students’ confidence, communication skills and connections with their peers and in the community. The program focuses on values that may not be taught in school: self-esteem, bystander intervention, diffusing anger and other important social skills as well as improving physical health by training to run a 5K race.

“I participated in a GOTR program when I was in third grade,” said Smith. “I took so much out of the program and realized the need for it at Andrew Robinson.”

As part of the JTR program, Smith completed several community service hours, including completing a beautification project on MLK Day, while teaching her students about the importance of service.

Smith currently serves as a UNF COEHS ambassador and has served in leadership positions on campus as communications chair of the UNF chapter of Student Florida Education Association, vice president of a politically affiliated club and resident assistant.

The JTR is a partnership between UNF’s COEHS and Duval County Public Schools, supported by the Corporation for National and Community Service, the National Science Foundation and the Jacksonville Public Education Fund. The program is currently preparing its fifth cohort of teachers for urban classrooms.

The mission of the JTR program is to recruit, prepare and retain a diverse population of highly effective teachers who serve in high-needs schools to ensure that Duval County students are college and career ready.

PSC Customer Meeting for Orange Land Utilities, LLC

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The Florida Public Service Commission (PSC) invites customers of Orange Land Utilities, LLC (Orange Land) to a customer meeting on Monday, April 30, 2018, to discuss the utility’s petition for a rate change.  Customers can comment on Orange Land’s proposed rates and any quality of service issues at the meeting.

Orange Land’s last approved rate increase was in 2008. Orange Land provides water service to approximately 76 customers in Pasco County.

The meeting is scheduled for the following time and location:

Monday, April 30, 2018
6:00 P.M.
West Pasco Government Center
8731 Citizens Drive
New Port Richey, FL 34654

Senator Bean & Representative Daniels Present $250,000 in State Funding to Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office

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On behalf of the State of Florida, State Senator Aaron Bean (R-Fernandina Beach) and State Representative Kimberly Daniels (D-Jacksonville) yesterday presented a $250,000 check to Jacksonville Sheriff Mike Williams and Dr. Charles Moreland, who attended on behalf of Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry. During the 2018 Legislative Session, Senator Bean and Representative Daniels worked diligently together to help secure the $250,000 in state funding for the City of Jacksonville and Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office for a Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) Matching Grant.

“The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office does an exceptional job protecting our community, and this COPS Matching Grant will allow them to keep more officers on the street to fight crime,” said Senator Bean. “This state funding shows the Florida Legislature’s commitment to the men and women of law enforcement and to protecting every citizen in the City of Jacksonville.”

“Public safety is a core function of government,” said Representative Daniels. “I have chaired the Public Health and Safety Committee for the City of Jacksonville and served on the Florida House Justice Appropriations Subcommittee. Sponsoring the COPS Grant with Senator Bean is an honor, and I am proud to be able to present this state funding for this great cause.”

The COPS Grant funds will be used to maintain 15 sworn officer positions that have allowed the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office to implement a three-pronged approach in Jacksonville, which includes a Blight/Nuisance Squad, Sheriff’s Watch Apartments and the Group Violence Intervention Program. The funding will permit the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office to continue these innovative programs with the ultimate goal of reducing firearm-related crime and homicides.

“The COPS Grant truly demonstrates the state’s continued support of our efforts to improve and enhance the quality of life for Jacksonville citizens,” said Mayor Curry. “We are grateful to Senator Bean, Representative Daniels, the Duval Delegation, and the state legislature for sharing our commitment to public safety.”

“The COPS program is just one of the ways our Florida legislators have been supporting our efforts here in Jacksonville,” said Sheriff Williams. “Senator Bean has been a great partner to law enforcement, and the entire Duval County Legislative Delegation has been very responsive to all that we are trying to accomplish. We are extremely appreciative of their support.”

Senator Bean represents Senate District 4, which includes parts of Nassau and Duval Counties. He can be contacted in Tallahassee at (850) 487-5004 or in his District Office at (904) 757-5039.

FWC discusses Gulf red snapper management, creates Gulf Reef Fish State For-Hire program for 2018-2019

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At the April 26 meeting in Fort Lauderdale, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) discussed Gulf red snapper management, including the 40-day Gulf recreational season (June 11-July 20, 2018), and approved the creation of a Gulf Reef Fish State For-Hire program for 2018 and 2019. This program will enhance management efforts by requiring for-hire operations that target or harvest certain reef fish in Gulf of Mexico state waters (excluding Monroe County) to report their intention to harvest these species.

To learn more about the 40-day recreational red snapper season in Gulf state and federal waters visit MyFWC.com/Fishing and click on “Saltwater Fishing,” “Recreational Regulations” and “Snappers.”

For-hire operations that do not have a federal reef fish permit but target reef fish in state waters will need to sign up for the Gulf Reef Fish State For-Hire program before targeting any of the following species: red snapper, vermilion snapper, gag grouper, red grouper, black grouper, gray triggerfish, greater amberjack, lesser amberjack, banded rudderfish and almaco jack.

This effort is part of a fishery-management pilot program (also referred to as an Exempted Fishing Permit) that allows the FWC to manage recreational red snapper harvest in Gulf state and federal waters off Florida in 2018 and 2019.

To share your comments or input on Gulf red snapper, visit MyFWC.com/SaltwaterComments.

Learn more about snapper at MyFWC.com/Fishing by clicking on “Saltwater Fishing,” “Recreational Regulations” and “Snappers.”

Clermont man claims top prize in new FLORIDA 20X THE CASH Scratch-Off game

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The Florida Lottery announces that Timothy Strickland, 51, of Clermont, claimed a $1 million top prize in the FLORIDA 20X THE CASH Scratch-Off game at Florida Lottery Headquarters in Tallahassee. He chose to receive his winnings as a one-time, lump-sum payment of $770,000.00.

Strickland purchased his winning ticket from Sunoco Food Mart, located at 1102 West Broad Street in Groveland. The retailer will receive a $2,000 bonus commission for selling the winning Scratch-Off ticket.

The new $5 game, FLORIDA 20X THE CASH, launched on January 15, and features 14 top prizes of $1 million, and more than $110 million in cash prizes. The game’s overall odds of winning are one-in-4.22.

Scratch-Offs are an important part of the Lottery’s portfolio of games, generating more than $784 million for the Educational Enhancement Trust Fund (EETF) in FY 2016-17, and comprising approximately 68 percent of ticket sales.